Control Me
by Coco Cobarra
Summary: "This is the true story of how The Miz lost the limelight to a six-foot-something British nobody and eventually – nay, inevitably – fought his way back to the top."  Miz/Maryse/Barrett
1. The Era of Awesome

**CONTROL ME**

**Chapter 1  
><strong>_The Era of Awesome_

* * *

><p><em>... 1! ..<em>_. 2! __... 3!_

I couldn't believe my eyes. I had successfully defended my WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Against John Cena, no less! Whether the Universe likes it or not, I can now join the ranks of other superstars that have entered the grandest stage of 'em all and have left as champions. Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Chris Jericho… Suck it in, ladies and gentlemen. I am now one of them.

The memory of the end of my match was a bit of a blur. See, before The Rock came in and – as he would say – "laid the smackdown" on John, we were caught up on the barricade and my head landed pretty hard on the concrete floor after he crashed into me. Next thing I knew, I was being dragged out into the ring. As I tried to recuperate and struggled with a throbbing headache, I heard a slam nearby and there was John Cena, laid out on the mat. There was no time for me to think about what the hell just happened. A guy was lying perfectly still in the middle of the ring! What idiot wouldn't put his arm over that lifeless body to score a pinfall? Certainly, not I!

When the referee slammed his hand on the mat for the third time, it was all over. At Wrestlemania XXVII, on the night of April 3rd, 2011, in the Atlanta Georgia Dome, I came out on top. And no, shut up, I did not get beaten down by The Rock.

After the show, my good buddy, A-Ry (that's Alex Riley for you NXT nerds), escorted me out of the ring and into the back. It was a long walk but at least I was in good company. Amidst all the cheers and jeers, I started getting a bit teary-eyed. In my head, I was like, "Pull it together, man! No tears! No tears!" But when I saw the look on A-Ry's face, mouthing the words, "You won!"… Nothing else mattered.

I descended the stairs and walked through the curtains to the sound of applause. Mr. McMahon shook my hand, rather vigorously if I may add, and congratulated me on retaining the title. Michael Cole was bowing down to me like I was some sort of god; it was flattering with a side of weird. I received a surprisingly warm reception from my former bro, Morrison. And I think I stared Steve Austin in the eyes for like, four or five seconds. I don't know. The concussion was getting to me.

I couldn't let go of A-Ry. If I were asked to do a sobriety test right on the spot, even if I _was_ sober, I'd probably end up in the slammer. The journey through the arena was hellish but extremely gratifying. The trainer's room felt so far away. Reminds me of the time I played Rey Mysterio's Road to WrestleMania in the last SmackDown! game and he walked so slow because of a headache. Yeah, how stupid was that?

Any negative thought that worsened my condition seemed to stop entering my mind when I heard the voice of an angel cry out my name.

"Michael!" she said.

And there she was. The most beautiful woman that I have ever laid my eyes on attempted to run up to me in her delicate heels. She was, as she would say, "the sexiest of the sexy." She placed her soft hands on my cheeks and started talking to herself in French.

I didn't understand a word she said but she looked at me with a caring smile and told me, "Let's get you to the trainer."

For quite some time, Maryse has had the privilege of calling me her boyfriend as I have had the same privilege to call her my girl. Despite the concussion, I did remember that night. She and A-Ry were in the room, watching the trainer run through tests with me. In between these tests, I couldn't help but stare at my French angel. I'm gonna sound like a total sap right now but when I looked at her, I saw green grass and white picket fences. The longer we went out together, the more I saw those images. I thought of popping the question right there in the room because I was awesome like that but a girl like her deserved more than that. Way more than that…

Welcome to the Era of Awesome. I was the WWE Champion, the company poster-child, the new go-to guy for all the media tours… And to top it all off, I had the most gorgeous girlfriend in the world. Every guy in the locker room was willing to kill me for my spot. They watch me strut through the locker room and I could hear them whining, "This guy's an idiot! A total loser! Why is he the champion?" Jealousy reared its ugly head like a bunch of daisies in the spring whenever I entered and all they could do is sit back and keep their mouths shut in the presence of my awesomeness. As you can see, everything was going great for me.

But believe it or not, things did start to get a bit ugly. There was a point in my life where all the attention I was given, all the accolades I kept getting…

It all kinda just… _stopped_.

Buckle up, kids. This is the true story of how The Miz lost the limelight to a six-foot-something British nobody and eventually – nay, inevitably – fought his way back to the top.

How?

I'm The Miz.

That's how.

Now shut up and pay attention…


	2. Some Deviled Eggs

**CONTROL ME**

**Chapter 2  
><strong>_Some Deviled Eggs_

* * *

><p>Sitting comfy now?<p>

Good.

It all started on the RAW after WrestleMania. No one had left the Dirty South yet so it was a pretty special, inter-promotional episode. We had the blue guys making special appearances on the show before we went our separate ways. It was mostly WrestleMania revenge stuff so when it came to the SmackDown! guys, it was all just Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio.

Oh yeah, that new stable was scheduled to appear at the end of the show, too. I think they were called The Corre. Well, the name certainly doesn't leave _me_ breathless. But I am the Most Must-See WWE Champion in history so RAW should've just gone off the air the minute I was done. Camera close-up on my face. RAW copyright claim at the lower-left corner. WWE logo flash. The end. It was better to end with me than the advanced announcement of some match at the next WrestleMania. Watch The Rock back out at the last minute.

Anyway, Maryse, A-Ry and I were watching the show backstage at the catering area. The girlfriend was helping herself to some deviled eggs while my protégé and I observed the Tough Enough contestants shown on the screen. Oh, how the memories began to flood in… Don't know why Daniel Puder won during my time but I've shown the world than I'm definitely tougher than him. Who's the loser now?

I was getting sick of watching Stone Cold Steve Austin ramble in the ring. I believe the time was nigh for the Universe to stand in awe of my presence. Oh, and A-Ry's presence, but mostly _my_ presence. Before leaving the catering area, I put my hands on Maryse's hips and whispered in her ear.

"Be right back, cupcake."

She let out a cute giggle after I took a bite off the deviled egg in her hand. I motioned for A-Ry and soon after, we left the French Canadian lady backstage with trays of appetizers and side-dishes that were arranged across the table. I didn't have a first-hand account of what happened after but a little birdie told me it was a tale of treachery in Maryse's part. I didn't want to believe it, though.

One night in Atlanta, The Corre arrived at the Georgia Dome and lounged at the catering area while waiting for the time of their RAW appearance. While I was out in the ring with A-Ry, confronting the famed Texas Rattlesnake, Maryse was said to have been making advances towards a member of The Corre. That Wade Barrett character, in particular.

What the hell did she find so special in him? A crooked nose? A Cockney accent? A horrible set of chompers? See, this is why I didn't believe the story at first. I mean, come on, Maryse. Wade Barrett? _Really? _You're attracted to _that_ guy when you already have me and my "more dashing than Cody Rhodes" good looks? I just didn't buy it.

But perhaps I was being a bit too shallow. Beauty's only skin deep and crap like that. So I asked my witness if they talked about anything in particular that may have ignited a spark between them. You're not gonna believe this! It's like something off a badly written fanfic…

He told me Wade was only minding his own business at the catering table, taking his pick of deviled eggs. When he went to get one last piece, he accidentally took Maryse's hand while she was going for the same one. What the hell is up with these people? Did they share an affinity for deviled eggs or something? They shared a laugh for a while until Wade let Maryse pick one first before returning to his gang of Mizfits at the table. But the encounter didn't end there.

After deciding to finally move away from the row of food she's been standing in front of for some reason, Maryse approached The Corre and situated herself behind Wade. Apparently, the sneaky woman tapped him on one shoulder and took an egg from his plate at the opposite direction of where he was facing. From that moment on, I thought she needed an intervention from certain hors d'oeuvres. Eventually, Wade caught her with the stolen egg and watched as she slowly licked the mayonnaise topping off the deadly yolk before popping the whole thing into her mouth at the same pace. She then licked each delicate fingertip of her hand, emulating old cartoon characters that do the same thing after eating something with their bare hands. It's funny how my witness described that moment in great detail. What a creep.

This moment, I saw with my own eyes, though… After A-Ry suffered a beating from Steve, I helped in carrying him to the back and we returned to the catering area. I watched my girlfriend leave the group of equal jobbers at the table.

She waved goodbye and shouted, "_Au revoir! _Be sexy!"

A-Ry was still recuperating from the attack but he was already able to stand on his two feet so my arms focused their attention on Maryse instead. I held the WWE Championship that was hung over my shoulder on one hand and held the side of her hip with the other. I looked back at the table and shot the group a dirty look. I don't know what really happened between Wade and Maryse but I decided to trust my witness's account.

That was my girlfriend's first encounter with Wade Barrett and I like to think it's also her last.

If John Cena and The Rock had the Cenation and Team Bring It… Wade Barrett had The Corre but we all know the lovely Maryse is Team Awesome all the freakin' way.

Or so I thought.


	3. Win Some, Lose Some

**CONTROL ME**

**Chapter 3  
><strong>_Win Some, Lose Some_

* * *

><p>Hey kids! It's time for another special edition of RAW! What makes this special edition more special than the other special editions of RAW? A special WWE Draft, of course!<p>

That means we're going to have another draft that will supposedly shake things up in the company. Don't they realize that no matter who they send in from SmackDown, I'll always be there to make an example out of them? You all saw what happened at Extreme Rules. I left the arena, still the WWE Champion. Morrison replacing Truth didn't matter. The fact that it was a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match didn't matter. Cena's involvement didn't matter. I pinned Morrison's cold shoulders down to the mat for the three-count and won the match; thus, successfully retaining the WWE Championship.

I didn't just win a match, though. I won a battle. Earlier that night, Maryse and I were watching the show on the flat-screen monitor in my locker room. When that Wade Barrett lost his Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules, I could see the look of immense disappointment on her face. The way she crinkled her nose, her cheeks tightened, her head pulled back... It's as if any potential she saw in him that night in Atlanta got completely shattered at the sound of the bell.

"Well now," I began with a chuckle. "That was pretty sad, don't you think?"

She shrugged her shoulders, acting as if the match didn't affect her one bit.

"He had a good run," she replied. "_C'est la vie._"

I looked down at the title around my shoulder and smirked. I covered her bare shoulders with my arm and pulled her in closer.

"Babe, I had a good run too, but at least I'm not losing my title a month after winning it."

As she let out a soft giggle, I placed my precious championship on her lap. I took her by the hand and placed it on the M-shaped logo fixed at the center. She took one look at me and fixed her gaze upon my eyes.

"Unlike Wade Barrett, I'm a winner," I proclaimed.

"_Et j'aime un gagnant._"

I didn't know what she just said but it must've been a good thing. I felt her soft lips on mine and we shared a kiss that would've sent men and women everywhere in a fit of jealous rage. While she smeared her lip gloss all over my cheek, I had my eyes on the screen. I watched as Wade Barrett stormed backstage and blasted his other Corre members. That was just delicious.

That was Extreme Rules. One man lost his title, another man kept his. And I was that other man.

After that night, I erased Wade Barrett completely from Maryse's memory.

But the next day, the sneaky bastard just manages to scribble his name back.

Maryse and I stood behind the RAW roster, perfectly placed in the shadows. The two brands were segregated in one area. I could see Wade Barrett at the corner of my eye, donning a bright blue SmackDown shirt. Not a single title belt in sight. He seemed to have distanced himself from The Corre as those three other misfits were nowhere near him. We have our differences but we were both focused on the action shown on the screen in front of us. It's John Morrison going against Cody Rhodes. Unfortunately for RAW, we had R-Truth fucking things up for us. He cost my old buddy, Morrison, the match and cost the whole roster a draft pick. Whatever. The profile shots of the members of the RAW roster flashed on the screen. Here's hoping R-Truth will get drafted. We would then learn that the newest member of the SmackDown roster was none other than…

_Alex Riley?_

I made a mental spit take. My protégé and confidant was now an enemy of my brand. Technically, I'm still his employer. I'll definitely be seeing less of him, though. I watched A-Ry sulkily march towards me, wearing the SmackDown shirt. I could feel his pain, having to transfer to the B-Show and having to deal with a life without me. As a sign of consolation, I firmly placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Just remember the things I've taught you," I said.

The guy tried to go for a hug. Instead of reciprocating however, I simply sent him along to the opposite side of the room. I'll admit it. I feel less protected now that A-Ry's gone but I know I can handle myself just fine. I'm The Miz, of course. I'm awesome.

Throughout the night, I've seen familiar faces come and go. Who knew a simple shirt could automatically be the indicator of a superstar's loyalty to the brand? What a bunch of fickle flip-floppers.

We've reached the fourth draft pick of the night and my brand won the privilege to add another member to the roster. Whoopee. You know what? I don't really care. I'm sure whoever goes from SmackDown to RAW, I will still assert my dominance over them as their locker room leader. I snapped out of focus and looked down at the title over my shoulder. I paid no attention to the roulette on the screen. It was only until I heard a commotion from the other side that I discovered the newest member of the roster. I turned my attention from the title to the SmackDown side and watched the ginger hick, the big scary black guy and the bearded lady argue with the tall British guy. Maryse was watching this scene, too. The screen informed us that Wade Barrett has been drafted to RAW. I could hear a distracting guffaw coming from CM Punk's general direction.

"This should be interesting," Maryse commented, watching Wade approach the gorilla position to expose himself to the crowd.

The news didn't please me at all. The guy was a bad hat, I just know it. The way he eyed Maryse at the catering area… Add the lust for my title, too. Must he take everything I love away from me? Well, I'm not gonna stand back and let that happen. It's time to take matters into my own hands. As a certain group of Italians would say, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

I invited Maryse to join me at the gorilla position to meet RAW's latest acquisition. Wade emerged through the curtains, looking down upon his brand new red shirt. When he lifted his head, he stopped at his tracks at the sight of me and Maryse. I put on the most welcoming smile I could muster up that night and extended my arm for a warm handshake.

"Welcome back to the A-Show, buddy."

"That's Wade Barrett to you."

Geez, what a total man-bitch. Didn't like him at all. But I had to swallow my pride.

"Duly noted, then."

Wade took one look at my angel before walking off but I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I linked my arm with his own arm and managed to slow him down. It caught his attention alright. He stopped and snapped at me.

"What do you want, Miz?"

"As the leader of the RAW locker room, I'm only trying to help you out here. Think about it, Wade. You didn't make a lot of friends during your whole stay here on RAW. You had your little clique on SmackDown but now that you're drafted, you're back to where you started from. I don't know with you, Barrett, but I know I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. It's a new era, after all."

I could sense him staring down my prized possession. Just to add salt to his wounds, I stroked the gold plating with my fingertips.

"This is all very intriguing but I'm not sure what you're getting at here. So we make amends and forget about our past troubles. A noble act of mercy. But what's in it for me? What's Wade Barrett going to get from striking a friendship with The Miz?"

I chuckled.

"Direction, Wade. Stick with me, and I will make damn sure that your career will keep flourishing here on RAW. You can do the legwork but I can pull some strings to make sure your efforts won't be wasted."

"Perhaps my efforts would be rewarded with a shot at that title, eh?"

He had a serious deadpan expression on his face. I tightened my grip on the title until he let out a half-hearted laugh.

"Well, I appreciate the welcoming committee, Miz. I honestly do. Looking forward to working with you in the future."

How I wanted to slap the smirk out of his mouth. He walked away from the scene, using his old SmackDown shirt as a towel. I had a bad feeling about this.

"I like him," Maryse said.

I had a _really _bad feeling about this.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> It's about time I updated, I know. And I know the draft came before Extreme Rules but this is my projected schedule for the WWE. Plus, it's more logical to have the draft after the PPV anyway. Now let me have it. What do you guys think so far?


End file.
